Rõivas: Reform Party will decide on which presidential candidate to endorse at the end of summer ({{commentsTotal}})

Chairman of the Reform Party and current Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas stated that the party’s executive board will decide at the end of summer on which presidential candidate to endorse.

"The Reform Party’s decision will apparently be the most difficult in this presidential election as we have a number of strong candidates,” Rõivas commented. “At the same time, this of course demonstrates our team’s strength. The party’s endorsement of a candidate will be decided by its executive board according to the [Reform Party’s] Articles of Association, and we plan to do this at the end of summer, before the candidates’ official nominations.”

“We look forward to [hearing] the candidates’ platforms and their answers to to the most important challenges facing Estonia,” added the prime minister.

According to Rõivas, the Reform Party considers it essential that candidates value foreign and security policy, insofar as those are fields in which the president will be expected to play an active role. “The President of the Republic is the supreme commander of national defense and represents Estonia in international relations,” Rõivas emphasized.

“Insofar as it is clear that a presidential election in the Riigikogu needs more than just coalition votes, then it can be expected that much will depend on the public popularity of a candidate as well,” he added.

Siim Kallas, former EU commissioner and founding member and first chairman of the Reform Party, revealed today that he intends to announce his bid for the Estonian presidency in a speech on April 16, and that, accordingly, he wants to justify his positions before the public.

Edgar Savisaar, chairman of the Center Party, also commented on Kallas’ decision today, saying that he is happy over the latter’s aspirations to become a presidential candidate. Savisaar did not comment on whether or not Kallas can count on the Center Party’s endorsement.

Following the local elections in October this year, Reform Party founder, former prime minister, EU commissioner, and presidential candidate Siim Kallas took on the job of municipal mayor of Viimsi, a community on the outskirts of Tallinn. In his interview with ERR's Toomas Sildam, Kallas talks about local government, his party, the EU presidency, and perspectives in Estonian politics.